Power 50 - #17: Nick Findlay

BACKGROUND CHECK

Since the age of 16, Nick Findlay has been working in radio, getting his start at various community stations. In 2005, he graduated from the Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS) in 2005 and started working in triple j's music library before stepping into Richard Kingsmill's shoes as Music Director in 2017.

THE YEAR THAT WAS

As triple j's Music Director, Findlay programs, schedules and tracks down new music for our national youth broadcaster. Triple j's day-to-day programming exposes new artists to millions of listeners around the country (and the world) and Ocean Alley is a perfect example of a band whose trajectory has undoubtedly been assisted by triple j play. The Sydney group's Confidence single was premiered on the station in February 2018, earning high rotation before taking the top spot on 2018's Hottest 100. On Billie Eilish, Findlay says, "triple j were one of the first outlets anywhere in the world to play her music," and in 2018 she was all over the triple j airwaves with Australia now one of her biggest territories. Artists Findlay programs on air often make their way into the Hottest 100 as well, with King Princess (1950 and Pussy Is God) and Bene (Soaked) just two examples of artists whose songs immediately piqued his interest last year. For the 2018 Hottest 100 countdown, a record amount of 2,758,584 votes were cast and the most common age of voters was 18 years, which clearly demonstrates Findlay's ability to appeal to triple j’s core demographic of young Australians. 

2018'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

"I’m always proud of the amazing work the whole triple j team put into the Hottest 100, but this year was particularly special. Once again we hit a record-breaking number of votes, and with the most common age of voters being 18, it highlights the success we’ve had in servicing the musical needs of our core demographic over the past year."